Travel Arrangements Made

From Rochester to NYC to Dublin to Madrid

I will have 5 weeks to explore Ireland and Spain. The focus of this Camino is the Celtic experience, obviously with Ireland, but no matter how my Spanish part works out, it is looking to be in Galicia (which has Celtic origins for those who didn't know).

Notable Memories

Completed my application for the Trusted Tourist Program with Customs and Border Patrol. I really have no desire this time to mess with long lines at TSA checkpoints. That will be especially true when I return from this Camino.

The Dingle Way wraps up the Kerry Camino (Tralee to Dingle - approx 4 days).

Luck or Providence

Recently a set of circumstances came together to afford me extra cash. An inner drive is taking me to explore wider things. Put the two together and I'm looking to step out farther and further.

There are so many options in Spain: Camino Sanabres (9 days) and Camino Ingles ( 5 days ) and so on.
Then jump across the ocean to Ireland: Dingle Way ( 10 days ) or to Wales ( __ days ). I could go on and on ...

Possible Caminos

Camino Sanabres

This quiet variant branches from the Vía de la Plata near Zamora. It takes the pilgrim directly to Santiago by completely bypassing the Camino francés. 43 km northward from Zamora in the rural village of Granja de Moreruela (on the Vía de la Plata), it takes the hiker northwestward through Puebla de Sanabria to Santiago. 

Dingle Way

Low-lying land and scenic hikes alongside mountains accentuate this rustic west-Ireland hike. There is one day of trail ascension when the pilgrim reaches Masatiompan with a 660 meter above sea-level climb. All kinds of terrain make up the Dingle Way, including small roads, beaches, open farmland and mountainous moorland.

Camino Ingles

Also known as the Antiguo Camino Real (Old Royal Way), this path provide a route from Ferrol or A Coruña to Santiago. In olden days, it was frequently used by pilgrims of various nationalities from northern Europe, arriving by sea, to make their pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago.

Taith Pererin Gogledd Cymru (North Wales Pilgrims' Way)

Approximately 130 miles long, hike past tiny stone churches nestled into the hills. Highlights on this pilgrimage include the 12 foot high cross at Maen Achwyfan – a thousand years old, carved with Celtic knotting and still standing enigmatic and isolated in the middle of a field, with its mix of Christian and pagan symbols. At the end, we cross the sea in an open boat and arrive at Bardsey Island, reflecting on all that has gone before and all that is to come.

Possible Hiking Options for an All Celtic Camino

Part I	Part II	Part III
Camino Sanabres	The Dingle Way	Camino Ingles
Camino Sanabres	The Dingle Way	Pilgrims Way N Wales
Camino Sanabres	The Dingle Way (5 dy)	Camino Ingles (10 dy)
Camino Sanabres	The Dingle Way (10 dy)	Camino Ingles (5 dy)